Steering-wheel heater for road-vehicles.



w; P. BARTON. STEERING WHEEL HEATER FOB. ROAD VEHICLES.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1914.

1,117,473. Patnted NovL-17, 1914;

WITNESSES; IIYVEN 70R.

, e, 4 I 4 TTORNEY.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM P. BARTON, OF IDAHO FALLS, I-DAI-IO."

- STEERING-WHEEL irna'rnn. E013. ROAD-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N w. 17, 1914.

Application filed May 5, 1914. Serial No. 836,549. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. BAnTon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Idaho Falls, in the county of Bonneville a d State of Idaho,have invented certain 162w and useful Improvements in Steering WheelHeaters for Road-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to heating elements on road vehicles and has forits object to provide an attachment that may be secured on the steeringhandwheel of automobiles and other road vehicles now in use, or that maybe similarly constructed to warm the hands and provide greater comfortfor the driver of such. vehicles. These objects I accomplish with thedevice illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar lettersand numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalfigures and as described in the specification forming a part of thisapplication and pointed out in the appended claim,

In the drawings in which I have shown a substantial embodiment of myinvention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an automobile steering wheel with two of mydevices in place thereon, parts cut away and parts shown in section.Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the radial line a: a: of Fig. '1. Fig. 3is an enlarged vertical section on line y y of Fig. 1, to show thecontacts and electrical connection.

In driving automobiles and other road vehicles during extremely coldWeather the driver frequently suffers from coldfespecially in his hands,and it is the purpose of my invention to provide an attachment, whichmay be fastened on the ordinary steering wheel, and-which may be heatedby electric current, without impairing the usefulness of the wheel ordetracting from its up earance.

Vith these objects in 'view the invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of the parts, to be hereinafter describedand claimed- I have shown the ordinary steering wheel A made of metal,except the rim which is made of wood, and provided with spokes B. Said.wheel is mounted on the upper end of a steering bar 0, which is rotatedwithin the casing and spaced therefrom. My device consists of twotrough; like segment members 1, which are semicircular in cross sectionand curved to fit around and inclose, when fastened together, a portionof the rim of said wheel A. Each of said segment members 1 is providedwith an insulating lining 2, and has perforated radially extended lugs23 on their inner corners. Holes are bored through the said spokes B ofthe wheel in alinement with the perforations in said lugs 3 throu hwhich bolts are inserted to fasten the evice to gether and on the rim ofsaid wheel. A high resistance wire t is longitudinally disposed withinsaid segment members and curved and bent upon itself to form atrougl1like heat element conforming to the general shape of said segmentmembers 1. The leads of .said wire 4 are spaced apart and insulated toprevent short ,circuiting, and the ends of the wire extend without saidsegment members 1 at one of their ends and are carried on the spokes Bto contact members 5, which are fastened to the hub of said wheel A. butinsulated therefrom. Segment shaped contact members 6 and 7 are securedon the upper end of said casing D and insulated therefrom and from. eachother, but a rein frictional contact with said contact members 5. WVires8 and 9 are connected with said segment contact members 6 and 7respectively and are carried down within said casing D to a source ofelectric energy mounted on the vehicle, not shown. Preferably each pairof the casing members 1 will cover one quarter ofthe rim of said wheeland two pair diametrically op osed will supply with their heater liningall the warmth required.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patentand claim In a device of the class describedthe combination with thesteering wheel of road vehicles; of a pair of se ment shapedtroughlikemembers' spaced from said wheel; op, posed perforated radiallyextended thereon; suitebly'insula-ted resistance Wires longitudinallydisposed in folds as a filler casing of the steering rod on which saidin the space between said Wheel and the insteering Wheel is mounted.

side of said trough-like members; contact In testimony whereof I haveaffixed my members insulated from and fastened to the. signature inpresence of two Witnesses.

hub of said steering Wheel and connected WILLIAM P. BARTON. With saidresistance Wires; and subjaeent \Vitnesses:

segment contact members insulated from SAM RANEY,

and fastened on the upper portion of the V. V. BARTON.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

